Trump is on the warpath to retake the White House. But there could be a wrench in the works now.
And one message hit Trump’s desk that came directly out of left field.
Vice President Kamala Harris has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s proposal for an earlier debate on Fox News, which had been set for a week before the previously scheduled ABC News debate.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, announced on Truth Social that he had agreed to a debate with Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, on September 4th in Pennsylvania, with a full arena audience.
“The Fox News Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined,” Trump said.
“The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party — BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”
Harris scoffed at the newly planned debate in an X post on Saturday.
“It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I’ll be there on Sept. 10, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there,” she wrote.
The ABC News debate is scheduled for September 10th, but Trump claims that debate is void since it was originally planned for him and President Biden.
Additionally, it would not have had a live audience and would have included mic muting and no pre-written notes.
Trump also argues that, due to his “litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos,” a debate on that network creates a conflict of interest.
He is suing the network and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after Stephanopoulos said Trump “r*ped” E. Jean Carroll during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican.
A jury found Trump liable in 2023 for s*xually abusing and defaming Carroll in a civil case, though he has not been found guilty of r*pe in a criminal court.
Harris spokesperson Michael Tyler accused Trump of cowardice, stating, “He is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out.”
Tyler added, “He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept. 10. The vice president will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime-time national audience.”
The debate scheduling has been a contentious issue between Harris and Trump.
Harris has pushed for a debate, but Trump has insisted he wouldn’t debate her until the Democratic Party formally nominates her.
Harris secured the Democratic nomination on Friday during a virtual vote with thousands of Democratic delegates, officially locking her in as the party’s nominee.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
